my coworker watches a daycare livestream all day by Alison Green on August 30, 2023 A reader writes: I work with a young woman who is constantly watching a daycare livestream throughout her workday. She has her work on her primary monitor and the daycare video on her second monitor, and everyone who walks past her desk sees that this is what she is doing all day long. She will […] Read the full article →
my coworker gets mad when I follow my boss’s instructions by Alison Green on August 24, 2023 A reader writes: I am a receptionist at a radiology clinic. Our sonographers (the techs who do ultrasound) get a bonus every time they do three ultrasounds in an hour. One of our sonographers, Meg, prefers to spend more time with patients so only does two an hour, and seems to be supported in this. I […] Read the full article →
my coworkers want me to turn down my raise by Alison Green on August 23, 2023 A reader writes: I work for a company with about 30 employees. We used to have five people in owner/management roles and things ran pretty well, but four left in the last year mostly due to the difficult personality of the remaining manager, Mo. Mo became the sole owner but did not want to pick […] Read the full article →
my coworker keeps saying he’s my boss … he’s not by Alison Green on August 16, 2023 A reader writes: I am having a really weird situation at work. This guy who I became good friends with recently, having just started working with him — Edward — has suddenly taken to saying things like, “So you know most people here think I’m your boss.” The other day it was, “I’m not into […] Read the full article →
should I tell someone about my coworkers’ exclusionary behavior at a conference? by Alison Green on August 15, 2023 A reader writes: I work at a Fortune 500 company, working specifically on one category that gets quite a lot of attention. I’ve been in the industry for 16 years and with this company for about half that. I have advanced degrees and am regarded as an expert in my field, internally and externally. Recently […] Read the full article →
my coworker showed us an explicit slideshow of her baby’s birth by Alison Green on August 14, 2023 A reader writes: This happened years ago, but I still wonder what (if anything) I should’ve done. I was teaching at a small independent school. I had a colleague, Maria, who was in her mid-twenties; she was enthusiastic, upbeat, and a fine teacher, really good with the kids, and I liked her personally, as well […] Read the full article →
my coworkers interrupt me no matter what I’m doing by Alison Green on August 1, 2023 A reader writes: I work in a small organization of about 25 people. I was promoted a few years ago. Now that I am the official conduit to the owner, the staff come to me to ask questions, throw around ideas, and chat about their lives. In most respects, this works fine. The owner and […] Read the full article →
my new coworker’s annoying habits are driving me mad by Alison Green on July 19, 2023 A reader writes: I’m afraid I’m heading into bitch-eating-crackers stage with my colleague. I need to either manage him better, or maybe change my perspective/reaction to avoid that. I have a new colleague, Niles. He’s new to working in an office environment. He went back to school for his degree and is in his early […] Read the full article →
how can I shut down our receptionist’s nosy questions? by Alison Green on July 17, 2023 A reader writes: How do you politely avoid questions about doctor or dental appointments from nosy coworkers? In my workplace, we have a sign-out sheet to keep track of where employees are over the course of the day, with the times we left the building and where we’re going in case someone needs to track […] Read the full article →
should I tell a colleague people think she’s having an affair with a coworker? by Alison Green on July 13, 2023 A reader writes: I’m currently working out my notice period at a small company I joined six years ago. Throughout that time, I’ve had a very close, albeit at times complicated, relationship with a woman who went on to move into a C-suite leadership role. Over recent years, she has become increasingly close with another […] Read the full article →